J. Sherwood Weber

This was pretty old and out-of-date when I first picked this up in a used book store. It was before much feminist criticism, for instance made its mark on the core curriculum. So in the list of 100 Significant Books, there are only 3 by women: Jane Austen, George Eliot and Emily Dickinson. Sappho isn't even listed in the section on Ancient Greek literature and Lillian Hellman is the sole female playwright mentioned in the section on Drama.

That said, I did find reading the 100 Significant show more books invaluable--an education in itself. I used it to keep my mind turning to mush during a time I had dropped out of college and every single book I read listed there gave me great insight into literature and Western culture as a whole. I haven't really explored the other recommendations, but given my good experience with that list, I'm keeping the book on my shelves so I can read more of their suggestions--even if a more up to date edition is badly needed. show less

This reference book is valuable for the breadth of its coverage. By grouping fiction and nonfiction books by general categories it provides a structure for searching for the areas that are of most interest to the individual reader. The inclusion of an index of authors, titles, and subjects enhances its value.

Arranged by major ares of human interest. Chapter 29 is Physical Sciences and Mathematics by Herman Y. Krinsky; p. 361 notes A Long Way from Euclid by Constance Reid, one of my all-time favorites. Print size sufficient for reading.

Useful introduction to some of the great works of literature.